Anger at Linton bridge delays

Harewood councillor Matthew Robinson has voiced his anger over delays and claims a lack of information about repairs on Linton Bridge which was damaged in the Boxing Day floods.

Leeds City Council has started work to stabilise the structure but funding still needs to be secured from the Department for Transport (DfT) to enable a temporary footbridge and full repairs, as well as a plan and timetable for the works from the council.

Coun Robinson (Conservative) said: “It has been almost two months now since the bridge was damaged and the disruption continues to impact on local communities.

“I am also pushing for a temporary footbridge to be installed as soon as possible.

“The estimated cost of a footbridge is £400,000, which would reconnect the villages of Collingham and Linton, helping businesses and the local community.

“Whilst I want to ensure that council officers are fully applied in getting repair work to the bridge underway, regrettably the DfT has not yet agreed to release the money needed to cover the cost of the repairs.”

Coun Robinson added: “I will be writing to and working with the local MP Alec Shelbrooke and contacting the Department for Transport directly to try to get the funding released to get the bridge repaired and reopened as soon as possible.

“However, the indicative timescale suggested to me is that it could be March 2017 before the bridge reopens.”